A couple of weeks ago, I launched the HRExaminer Radio Hour. It's 30 minutes of a deep dive in our industry every Friday at 2pm eastern (11 am pacific). Of course,

Introducing HRExaminer Radio

I’ve got a range of fascinations with the worlds of HR and Recruiting. I love the edges of the field and spend a lot of time wondering about what’s coming.

I’ve been a tech guy since I first learned coding in 1979. A liberal arts degree didn’t turn out to be very useful when I started to look for work (the alternatives seemed to be retail or being a door to door Santa – really, ask me about it). We were hearing rumors of desktop computing but there were only a few signs of it.

I landed, by complete accident and failure to plan, in the middle of the Radar industry at the heart of the defense comples. Somehow, I passed the security clearance and got a wonderful job as a copy boy in the Xerox room. Once I looked around and noticed that the guys (they were all guys) who were getting ahead were all engineers. So, I learned coding and went to night school with a vengeance.

For a decade, I took two or three classes a week. Between engineering, OD and an MBA program, I accumulated the world’s largest collection of graduate credits. A heavy travel schedule got in the way of the actual credentials. I tested my way into a certificate as a professional logistics engineer.

When I was at work, I always threw myself at the hardest imaginable jobs and programs that noone else was dumb enough to touch. I tackled the toughest learning curves. I taught the graduating class of Taiwan’s Naval Academy how to design an supply chain and logistics infrastructure for a shipyard. I trained battle tank assembly line soldiers in the middle of nowhere in the middle eastern desert. I negotiated 9 figure contracts, navigated federal procuement, ran a skunk works and saw amazing things as engineers routinely broke the state of the art.

15 years on an impossible learning curve gave me one particular skill. I learned to never be afraid of learning and to never be afraid to ask peole smarter than me for answers. I’ve been lucky enough to continue that experience in the worlds of recruiting, HR and HRTech.

A couple of weeks ago, I launched the HRExaminer Radio Hour. It’s 30 minutes of a deep dive in our industry every Friday at 2pm eastern (11 am pacific). Of course, it’s also available for download at blog talk radio or on iTunes.

The show is a sort of a bookmark. This year, I’ve decided to experiment more with communications media. So, the show is liable to include ‘field trips’ to Google Hangouts and a variety of integrated learning environments. As the experiments open up, we’ll keep you in the loop in the pages of the HRExaminer and on our weekly email newsletter.

For now, the show is going to go deep in the realm of Recruiting and Recruiting Tech. There’s a universe of great minds who never see the light of day in social media because they are so busy building their companies. I’ll be talking to them.

I’ll ask some hard questions and try to keep the conversation interesting

John Sumser

John Sumser is a principal analyst for HRExaminer, an independent analyst firm covering HR Technology and the intersection of people, tech, and work. John’s mix of experience over the course of his career gives him a broad and unique perspective on the industry. Like anyone trying to process a lot of information, he is two or three steps ahead in some areas and still learning about others.
Sumser’s work includes deep research into the nooks and crannies of HR Technology to identify and explain rapidly evolving trends. Built on a foundation of engineering, design, and philosophy, John’s seeks to understand and advise clients on where their technology works best, for whom, and in what context.
Each year, John examines the insides of hundreds of companies, their products, and ecosystems. He delivers vendor analysis by building the framework from which to deliver the critique. He is constantly connecting and making visible the front end of change. He can help you see the path of evolution and the risks on the journey.
The HRExaminer is Sumser’s vehicle for understanding and explaining the inner workings of the industry. With three weekly podcasts, and written commentary, he covers emerging ideas, the state of the industry, and the executives who operate it.

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